The holidays offer plenty of opportunities for indulgence, which can be both a blessing and a curse for some of us. There's no need to deprive yourself during the festivities, but there's a way to enjoy the great food without going totally overboard. Create a plan of attack before attending parties or big dinners so you don't eat everything in sight. There are two ways to approach your plan. Read more

This hearty, colorful salad would be perfect for a holiday table or any time of year. Served warm or cold, the layers of flavors in this dynamic dish mean you don't get sick of eating it. The citrus parmesan vinaigrette is subtle yet delicious, and it could be made without the cheese to lighten it up. I also used less olive oil for the dressing than the recipe called for but a little more citrus Read more

Christmas is almost here, and many of you are gearing up for gifts, time with the fam, and that enormous Christmas dinner. It may seem like a great idea to forgo breakfast to save room for your decadent evening meal, but it's not a good strategy for a few reasons. Not only will you feel exhausted and too crabby to socialize, but avoiding breakfast will also slow down your metabolism. To Read more

Choosing what to keep as leftovers is one way to help you survive the holidays, but sometimes an insistent host won't let you get away without a bag of holiday treats. Even if you volunteer to take home an alternative item, like leftover hummus, some hosts just won't take no for an answer! So what do you do with a tempting bag of cookies? Here are a few ideas. Bring them to the office. Chances Read more

In my experience, a lot of grazing happens over the course of Christmas day. You wake up early to open presents and often eat late. This is why it is important to have healthy snacks to nosh on throughout the day. This flame-grilled eggplant dip has a surprisingly festive look. The red of tomato chunks and the green bits of Italian parsley pop against the neutral eggplant background. Mild, yet Read more

From now through the New Year, parties abound — from cocktail parties to cookie exchanges. I have attended many a holiday potluck as well. My favorite though was the salad potluck for the moms in my babysitting co-op. Along with a white elephant gift we were asked to bring three of our favorite salad toppings. The host provided a large bowl of mixed greens, three salad dressings, and loaves of Read more

The other day I had a baguette that was past its prime, and my first thought was "I'll make bread pudding." But with all the holiday sweets around, I didn't want to add to the temptation with another dessert. So I dug up this recipe for a savory Onion Bread Pudding instead. The recipe comes from Cooking Light, and despite the fact that the main ingredients are bread and cheese, this holiday side Read more

This year, instead of buying a tree that's already chopped down, why not make an outing to a Christmas tree farm to cut down your own tree? Not only will you be supporting a local family-owned business, but you'll get some exercise hiking through the rows of trees to find the perfect one. Then once you find it, you'll burn some calories sawing it down by hand. Even if the whole process only Read more